Diana～蜜桃
Istanbul's Blue MosqueIstanbul's Blue Mosque(清真寺) was built partly as an effort to show Christians that Ottoman(土耳其人) culture could produce something to rival the Hagia Sophia. The architect(建筑), Sedefkâr Mehmet Aÿa, was looking to rival(竞争者) the visual experience of Istanbul's famous church. And it is in fact an architectural(建筑上的) masterpiece(杰作). And it is built so that visitors to the city can see both the mosque and the Hagia Sophia(教堂名), and can compare the two... The mosque is also one of the most noticeable(著名的) landmarks(里程碑) in Istanbul, particularly as you stand on the Asian side of the city, along the shore of the Sea of Marmara. If size and location(位置) alone don't distinguish(著名) it for visitors, its unusual array(排列) of six minarets(清真寺的尖塔) make the mosque unmistakable(不会弄错的). Sultan Ahmet I ordered the construction(建造) of the Blue Mosque in 1609. It was completed in 1616. The mosque is huge, with a capacity(容纳) of about 10,000 people; among the first experiences for a visitor to the mosque is coming to is the courtyard. Ablution fountains around the courtyard allow Muslims to prepare to enter the mosque by wash their face, arms, neck and feet as well as mouth and nose. The courtyard is tiered( 阶梯式的)and marble(大理石) steps take visitors from one level to the next. Being inside the mosque makes one feel small. The chandeliers(枝形吊灯) and blue tiles(地砖) (from which the mosque takes its name) create a unique sense of lighting inside. The dimensions(尺寸) of the mosque are (like nearby Hagia Sophia) staggering(摇晃欲倒的). The dome(圆盖)rises to about 140 high and is 77 feet in diameter(直径). Four pillars (柱子)hold up the roof; they measure about 16 feet in diameter. There are some 260 windows. While the mosque is a necessary visit on any first trip to Istanbul, keep in mind that the historic(历史的) building is still in use as a mosque. Dress appropriately(适当地). And be prepared for the fact that five times a day the most closes to visitors for about 90 minutes will prayer(祈祷者)( takes place. Mid-morning is the best time to visit; prayer takes place at dawn(黎明)( and at noon, which creates a window of about three hours (8:30 to 11:30am) to visit. Exact prayer times vary with the seasons.
Rita泱泱
众所周知，作为拜占庭和君士坦丁堡早期的化身，远古的城市伊斯坦布尔由最初不到10个人成长为一个居民遍布世界各地的城市。在19世纪80年代，当伊斯坦布尔的大街上挤满了饭店、餐馆、咖啡厅以及文化机构的时候，因为国家旅游经济的苏醒，正是土耳其经济高速增长的时期。人们幸福的生活被1999年的一场地震破灭了，但是这个城市因为他的镇定恢复了一些。博斯普鲁斯，在马尔马拉海和黑海之间流动的海峡，在伊斯坦布尔造成一个自然的南北划分，欧洲的伊斯坦布尔包含了这个城市到西方的大部分。当亚洲的伊斯坦布尔到西方。欧洲伊斯坦布尔本身就是除以黄金非洲之角到老城区到南。并把beyoglu和其他现代化的地区到北方来。在老城区你会发现这主要的景点，比如TOPKAPI宫，蓝色清真寺，索菲亚圣地，古希腊竞技场和老城墙。对于见识这个城市的商业的繁华来说，21世纪的伊斯坦布尔北部的格拉塔大桥，繁华的Taksim广场也是一个好的例子。公共汽车、电车和正在建设中的地铁，这些都可以不用说了，更不用提可以坐渡轮穿越的两个城市的主要部分：博斯普鲁斯到亚洲伊斯坦布尔，尽管这个地区对游客来说没什么吸引力。
zhang太太
英汉对照：伊斯坦布尔 Istanbul旧称君士坦丁堡(Constantinople)，古称拜占廷(Byzantium)。 土耳其城市和海港。位于黑海口的一个半岛上，是土耳其最大城市，坐落在博斯普鲁斯海峡两岸，地跨亚欧两洲。公元前8世纪拜占廷被建成一个希腊殖民地。公元前512年移交给波斯帝国，后来又被亚历山大大帝统治，公元1世纪拜占廷成为罗马人治下的一个自由城。330年君士坦丁一世将罗马帝国的首都定于该城，后更名为君士坦丁堡。它一直是拜占廷帝国的都城，直到5世纪末罗马帝国衰落。6～13世纪该城先后被波斯人、阿拉伯人、保加利亚人和俄罗斯人围攻。第四次十字军东征时被占领(1203)，由拉丁基督教徒统治。该城1261年重归拜占廷统治。1453年成为奥斯曼帝国的都城，取名为伊斯坦布尔。1923年土耳其将首都移到安卡拉，君士坦丁堡于1930年正式更名为伊斯坦布尔。该城许多历史古迹都位于中世纪有围墙的古城(斯坦布尔)。伊斯坦布尔的建筑珍品包括圣索非亚教堂、苏莱曼清真寺(1550～1557)和布鲁清真寺。其教育机构有伊斯坦布尔大学(1453年成立)，为土耳其最古老的大学。Istanbulformerly Constantinople ancient ByzantiumSituated on a peninsula at the entrance to the Black Sea, Turkey's largest city lies on either side of the Bosporus and thus is located in both Europe and Asia. Byzantium was founded as a Greek colony in the 8th century BC. Passing to the Persian Achaemenian dynasty in 512 BC and then to Alexander the Great, it became a free city under the Romans in the 1st century AD. The emperor Constantine I made the city the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire in 330, later naming it Constantinople. It remained the capital of the subsequent Byzantine Empire after the fall of Rome in the late 5th century. In the 6th–13th centuries it was frequently besieged by Persians, Arabs, Bulgars, and Russians. It was captured by the Fourth Crusade (1203) and turned over to Latin Christian rule. It was returned to Byzantine rule in 1261. In 1453 it was captured by the Ottoman Empire and made the Ottoman capital. When the Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923, the capital was moved to Ankara, and Constantinople was officially renamed Istanbul in 1930. Many of the city's historic sites are located in the medieval walled city (Stamboul). Among its architectural treasures are the Hagia Sophia, the Mosque of Süleyman, and the Blue Mosque. Its educational institutions include the University of Istanbul (founded 1453), Turkey's oldest university.
80年代之后
伊斯坦布尔和君士坦丁堡的区别如下：
伊斯坦布尔和君士坦丁堡都是同一个城市，伊斯坦布尔原名君士坦丁堡。
是土耳其经济、文化、交通中心，世界著名的旅游胜地，繁华的国际大都市之一，位于巴尔干半岛东端、博斯普鲁斯海峡南口西岸，扼黑海入口，为欧亚交通要冲，战略地位极为重要。
面积5343平方公里，市区已扩大到金角湾以北，博斯普鲁斯海峡东岸的于斯屈达尔也划入市区，成为地跨欧亚两洲的现代化城市。
伊斯坦布尔的简介如下：
伊斯坦布尔（土耳其语：İstanbul；英语：Istanbul），原名君士坦丁堡，是土耳其经济、文化、交通中心，世界著名的旅游胜地，繁华的国际大都市之一。
公元前658年，希腊移民在金角湾与马尔马拉海之间的地岬上建立了一座城市，称为拜占庭。公元330年，君士坦丁将罗马帝国迁都至此，起初称为新罗马，不过很快就以其创建者君士坦丁命名——君士坦丁堡（Constantinople，又译康斯坦丁堡）。
公元395年，罗马帝国分为东、西罗马帝国，君士坦丁堡成为东罗马帝国首都。1453年成为奥斯曼帝国首都。
